Jamal, who is credited with revolutionising he UK music scene and discovering some of the biggest talent, says it is a “fantastic opportunity to expand on our existing service”.

The launch of SBTV News is part of a strategy to expand the 10-year-old channel from its roots in music – it was an early champion of acts including Ed Sheeran and Jessie J – into a more mainstream multichannel video business.

“SBTV News will be a fantastic opportunity to expand on our existing service which already covers the most important breaking news on the web,” the 25-year-old told The Guardian. “Our audience is young and hungry to learn, with interests beyond music. We aim to become the go-to news destination for our followers, just as we have for discovering the best new music.”

Dubbed the ‘Simon Cowell of grime music’, Jamal, who was honoured by the Queen in March for his services to music, founded SBTV, named after his rapping moniker Smokey Barz, in 2006 as a platform to push the UK grime scene.

Talking to The Voice last year about his success, Edwards said “self-belief is the main ingredient” to his success.

He said: “I’m a rebel at heart. When people say ‘no’ I do it anyway because I know I can. That’s why self-belief is so important.”

He added: “With so much negativity around us it’s hard sometimes to stay positive and fight for your dreams. When I started my YouTube channel I was working at Topman, I worked there for four years investing in myself. The world won’t help you, I learnt that early, you have to help yourself, you have to invest [in] yourself to better your life.”

The news service, which launched yesterday (Jan 20) will expand into areas such as sport, politics, technology, showbusiness and entertainment.

A team of 25 journalists will create the content – four SBTV-based reporters, two of whom will be seconded from PA, and 21 from PA’s digital service Snappa.

“We are very excited to have formed this digital partnership with Jamal Edwards and SBTV which will combine the multimedia content, resources and experience of PA and the unique strength among young audiences of SBTV,” said Press Association chief executive Clive Marshall.